Hard Child

Leonidas Piper watched from the surface of Jergan as the warship he was serving on with his best friend was blasted into rubble by John Blakely's Pirate Fleet. That warship was all they had left after the Unity Government disbanded their mercenary legion. Now nothing remained of it but gas and debris in orbit above Jergan. Two years later fate stepped in again; Leonidas was on a commercial Starliner traveling to Kellinger when it was stopped and boarded by a crew of pirates led by John Blakely.

Since the dawn of civilization, it's been mankind's greatest dream: immortality and eternal youth. Dramatic advances in medical science have finally made it possible. But in order to preserve everyone's youthful state, they must undergo an irreversible operation before passing into adulthood. A special hormone patch maintains each person's body in the form of a preadolescent 11-year-old.

It’s been years since Burke has been home, years since he’s seen his “family” and worked in the underbelly of New York City. Although his appearance has changed, his reputation grown dusty, and his wallet thin, his skills and his crew remain razor sharp. So when he is contacted by a mob boss to investigate the murder of his illegitimate daughter, Vonni, Burke takes the job and begins searching for an unspeakably vicious killer.

Everything in New Braintree was efficient, comfortable, and convenient, but tightly controlled by PACE, a technology provider with dark ambitions of global dominance. And their proposed justice robot, MAX, is more of a politician than a judge, and lacks even simulated ethics. Railas, now fully operational, is the only alternative. He cannot be intimidated or bribed, and he was created to work against tyranny. His team has high hopes to restore justice and defeat PACE. But while Railas and his team investigate MAX and his motives, he finds something worse.

The remnants of human civilization create their own utopia on an alien planet. A brilliant robotic scientist breaks the rules in an attempt to make his impaired son whole. Meshing android and human minds is considered impossible, a societal taboo, and illegal. Can the sorrow of a father, the challenge of a feat never accomplished, and the promise of normalcy for a son who has never known it motivate a man beyond his ethical boundaries? What happens when it all goes wrong?

It’s a new school year, and the Dudes have got security work to do. See how they give their parents a phishing lesson, thwart package bandits, and combat snack bullies. Laugh as the Dudes take on: An Ex-Special Forces Sensei, A Pizza Gun, and Snowman Decapitation!

Nate and his video gamer friends are given the chance of a lifetime, a six-month tour aboard the Alliance’s newest battleship, ANS Dreadnought. Two years at the Academy has tested Nate’s flying, combat, and technical skills to the limit. But nothing will come close to his greatest test. Captain Gaunt, one of the Alliance’s most decorated officers plans to use Dreadnought to start a war, one that will engulf the region and cost many lives.

A strange alien calling himself the Prophet has appeared in orbit above Earth, and the planet's most powerful weapons have proven useless against his ship's defenses. To make matters worse, the Prophet tells mankind that Earth will soon be invaded and destroyed if the Earth's nations don't learn how to live in peace and start building to meet the coming enemy. Failure to change humanity's warlike ways will lead to its destruction.

Reed dreams of a girl that tells him to resist Foreverland. He doesn't remember her name, but knows he once loved her. He'll have to endure great suffering and trust his dream. And trust he's not insane. Danny Boy, the new arrival, meets Reed's dream girl inside Foreverland. She's stuck in the fantasy land that no kid can resist. Where every heart's desire is satisfied. Why should anyone care how Foreverland works?

By any reasonable definition, this was a bad day. My parents and sister were on Mars when the planet died. I watched it happen and could do nothing. That type of thing changes a man.

This fast paced yet philosophically intriguing sci-fi audiobook reveals what genetic engineering has not figured out yet: How to turn a child into a genius! In 2025, the whole scientific world is chasing that elusive goal. The US, China and Peru are leading the way. Ace Peruvian scientist, Dr. Indira Rico, is a lifelong member of the EYPC cult "Engineer Your Perfect Child" (where children get trained from infancy for a specific career). She has nearly perfected a nanobot system to 'copy' genius neural networks from one person's brain into another.

A story about Leo, who grew up in China and his mom and dad own a clothing boutique. When he was old enough, he came to America to start his own clothing store. Leo found starting a clothing store in America wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.

Manhattan, 2147. Seventeen-year-old Sera Fisk gleefully celebrates the death of her 114-year-old great-grandmother, the last Atraxian alive who still remembers what New York was like before Felicity. There is only one principle of Felicity: Suffering is optional. Those who disagree or forget this principle, as Sera's father did, are detained and "purified". Through the use of the Darklandia virtual reality and mandatory water rations, the Department of Felicity has transformed metropolises all over the country into happy, obedient communities.

Auf den Spuren seines Vaters! Jack Reachers 23. Fall ist sein persönlichster. Der weltweite Nummer-1-Bestseller endlich auf Deutsch. "Lacona, New Hampshire" stand auf dem Straßenschild. Obwohl Jack Reacher noch nie hier gewesen war, entschied er sofort, dass er den Ort besuchen würde. Denn hier war sein Vater aufgewachsen, und auch wenn dieser niemals zurückgekehrt war, wollte Reacher sehen, was das für ein Ort war. Als er den Entschluss traf, ahnte Reacher noch nicht, dass es einen guten Grund gab, warum sein Vater Lacona den Rücken gekehrt hatte.

Wer diesen Anhalter mitnimmt, sollte nichts Böses im Schilde führen... Jack Reacher bemühte sich, harmlos auszusehen, was ihm mit seiner großen, massigen Gestalt und der gebrochenen Nase nicht leicht fiel. Umso dankbarer war er, als endlich ein Auto anhielt, um ihn mitzunehmen. Die Frau und die beiden Männer im Wagen waren Kollegen - zumindest vermutete Reacher das. Er wusste nichts von ihrer Verwicklung in den Mord, der nicht weit entfernt verübt worden war.

In einer Bar irgendwo in Nebraska. Jack Reacher bekommt zufällig mit, dass der Dorfarzt einen Notruf entgegennimmt und sich weigert, der Anruferin zu helfen. Kurzerhand zwingt Reacher ihn dazu - und lernt eine Frau kennen, die nicht zum ersten Mal von ihrem Mann verprügelt wurde. Er stellt den Schläger im örtlichen Steakhouse und löst damit eine Lawine aus. Denn der Schläger ist einer der Duncans. Diese Familie ist berüchtigt für ihr erpresserisches und rücksichtsloses Verhalten - und geht über Leichen.

Eines Tages liegen auf Jack Reachers Konto 1030 Dollar. Der Mann ohne Telefon und festen Wohnsitz weiß sofort: Seine Vergangenheit hat ihn wieder. Er spürt die Frau auf, die ihm den Notrufcode zugespielt hat: seine Expartnerin aus Army-Zeiten, Frances Neagley. Sie hat schlechte Nachrichten, denn Calvin Franz, ein Mitglied der einstigen Neunergruppe, wurde grausam ermordet. Und es scheint, als sei Franz nicht der Einzige aus Reachers altem Team, der einem gefährlichen Gegner zum Opfer gefallen ist.

Eigentlich wollte er nur einen Kaffee trinken - doch dann wird Jack Reacher Zeuge einer Geldübergabe. Frau und Tochter eines Millionärs sind verschleppt worden. Steckt wirklich nur eine Entführung mit Lösegeldforderung dahinter, oder hat es mit den schmutzigen Machenschaften des ach so besorgten Edward Lane zu tun, der sein Vermögen als Vermittler für Söldner gemacht hat? Reachers Instinkt für krumme Sachen ist geweckt. Er nimmt sich der Sache an - und gerät zwischen ungeahnte Fronten.

In einer Kleinstadt in Indiana schießt ein Heckenschütze scheinbar wahllos in eine Menschenmenge. Die Spur führt zu James Barr, der Jahre zuvor seinen Job als Scharfschütze bei der Army verlor, weil er ein ähnliches Massaker angerichtet hatte. Sein Vorgesetzter damals: Jack Reacher. Und nach Reacher fragt Barr nun, als man ihn festnimmt. Ausgerechnet Reacher - hatte dieser doch damals geschworen, Barr eines Tages ein für alle Mal hinter Gitter zu bringen.

This delightful story follows Lazy Baller as he tries out for the school basketball team. Despite his love for the game, Lazy Baller struggles with the distraction of technology & putting in the effort at practice. But as he learns the importance of hard work, he discovers that talent isn't just about scoring points – it's about putting in the effort when no one's watching.